


Apple and Worm

by misura



Category: Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003)
Genre: Multi, Worms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29038185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: "My sister is a very warm, very loving person," Leto says. "If you showed her some vulnerability - ""She'd rip my heart out," Farad'n says. "And probably feed it to that worm down there."
Relationships: Ghanima Atreides/Leto Atreides II/Farad'n Corrino
Kudos: 2





	Apple and Worm

"Oh, you poor thing," Ghanima says, and Farad'n once again manages not to say, _my childhood pretty much sucked, thanks for asking_ , although he's beginning to wonder if maybe he should.

It's not as if being humble and stoic and accepting has gotten him all that far.

"At least you kept it alive. That's not an insignificant accomplishment," Leto says, looking at Farad'n with what might be actual, honest approval, but is more likely a trick of the light or something.

"Uh, thanks?" Farad'n says anyway, because he'll take what he can get (and, it has been made abundantly clear to him, will have his throat cut post-haste if he ever even dares of thinking of taking anything not explicitly offered. Which Farad'n is actually 100% okay with, because clarity is great, he loves clarity, thank whatever higher powers exist for finally having some clear rules in his life).

Leto chuckles and pats his shoulder. Farad'n isn't sure how to take the gesture; he's noticed Leto seems to be touching people half the time to unsettle them with his weird skin, but, again: table scraps.

Ghanima gives the two of them a look that makes Farad'n want to ask her to marry him.

Leto smiles at her and actually puts his arm around Farad'n's shoulder in a way that's almost possessive. (As if.) "Credit where credit's due."

"It's trapped. Imprisoned. Half-mad by now, probably," Ghanima says, sounding wholly judgmental.

Farad'n bites down hard on a, _'well, it's not as if we could let it wander around the planet, is it?'_.

"Nothing wrong with a bit of madness," Leto says, his arm tightening ever so slightly.

Farad'n wonders if Leto's trying to lull him into a false sense of security before throwing him over the ramparts, to the worm. It seems unlikely, given that training or not, Leto could do that any time.

Heck, Ghanima could ask him to jump, and Farad'n knows he would do it, no questions asked.

"I'm going down there," Ghanima says, leaving before Farad'n can suggest that maybe going down where the half-mad worm is isn't the best idea. Possibly a good thing: she'd only judge him some more.

Leto sighs. "You know, you could make her work for it at least a little."

"You mean, the way you do?" Farad'n asks, before he can really think about it. (He _likes_ Leto, is the thing. He doesn't dream of Leto, doesn't get a dry mouth whenever Leto is near, doesn't wonder ten times a day if maybe Leto will let him touch him - Farad'n simply likes him. It's nice.)

"I'm her brother," Leto says airily.

 _That's not exactly all you are,_ Farad'n doesn't say, because he's not stupid enough to be jealous.

"My sister is a very warm, very loving person," Leto says. "If you showed her some vulnerability - "

"She'd rip my heart out," Farad'n says. "And probably feed it to that worm down there."

Leto chuckles. "I think you underestimate her."

"Never," Farad'n says, because that one's a doozie.

"Well, then how about I give you a hand?" Leto says. "Because frankly, from where I'm standing, it looks like you could use one. Or more than one, if I'm being honest, but one is all I can spare."

"All right," Farad'n says.

"Excellent," Leto says, and oh yes, there it is. Farad'n would have tried to dodge on pure instinct, but even in his no longer quite human body, Leto's quicker than Farad'n knows he will ever be. "Do try to land on its back." Leto lets go, and Farad'n falls.

The Bene Gesserit supposedly have a litany against fear, but Farad'n's too busy calling himself an idiot to really get afraid before he makes it all the way down, managing to indeed land on the worm rather than in front or behind of it.

Supposedly, Fremen ride the beasts, though Farad'n vaguely recalls they use hooks. He grabs hold of something, half-expecting the worm to start bucking, trying to throw him off, like a dog scratching at a flea. Instead, the worm doesn't seem to notice it's acquired a unwanted-slash-unwilling guest at all.

Leto waves at him from the ramparts.

Farad'n gets a sudden vision of being left here, of Leto and Ghanima simply leaving. He's somewhat confident he'd survive; unlike the worm, he's not going to melt in water. It should be fine.

Then, suddenly, Ghanima's there, looking annoyed. "What are you _doing_?"

Somehow Farad'n manages not to say, _Leto pushed me_. Instead, he shrugs and says, "I jumped."

" _Why_?"

Farad'n shrugs again. He wants to ask her if she cares whether he lives or dies, except that he knows it would hurt when (not if) she said 'no'. "Why not? It was quicker than taking the stairs." He thinks it sounds like something Leto would have said.

Of course, Leto would have taken his shirt off first.

Ghanima mutters something.

"Sorry, what?" Farad'n asks. He tries not to get his hopes up.

"I said, did my brother put you up to this?" Ghanima says.

Farad'n looks up at the ramparts again. Leto's still there, still watching. "Maybe a little."

Ghanima sighs, and then she says, "Your stance is all wrong. If you're going to ride a worm, you should at least get it right."

Farad'n swallows. "I am yours to instruct. As always."

"Fine. But I'm only going to explain this to you once," Ghanima says, which is when Leto decides to show up, of course: not jumping, just running in that way he has, down the stairs and out the gate and onto the back of the worm like it's nothing.

"If he's a slow learner, we can always feed him to this sad old beast and tell everyone it was an accident." Leto pats the worm's skin with easy affection.

"Don't tempt me," Ghanima says.

"Doesn't he? Even a little? Remember, I know you," Leto says. "He's been very well-behaved so far."

"Thanks," Farad'n says. "I'm truly touched."

"He's not you," Ghanima tells Leto. It's quite possibly the closest she's ever come to telling Farad'n 'I love you', and it hits him so unexpectedly that he nearly falls, would have fallen if Leto hadn't caught him.

"Can't really hold that against him, can you? Be fair, Ghani," Leto says. "The three of us, we could have something together. For as long as we have, anyway. Something our parents couldn't. Something good."

Ghanima harrumphs. Leto leaves Farad'n to regain his own balance.

"At least promise me you'll think about it."

"Fine! All right!" Ghanima snaps. "Now, do we have an actual plan to get this worm out of here?"


End file.
